Golden State Warriors: Need to Know

The Warriors played at the fastest pace in the NBA (100.7). Stephen Curry led all individuals with the fastest pace among players (102.4). In fact, 5 of the 6 fastest paces were Warriors players.

Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant were the only players with an effective field goal percentage over 50% on jumpers off the dribble (min. 100 plays).

Klay Thompson shot the ball on 37.2% of his touches last season, highest among 20 PPG scorers. The ball was in his possession for 1.9 minutes per game.

The Warriors average touch time was 2.39 seconds, lowest in the NBA. The offense moved the ball 12.9% faster than the league average. ‪

The Warriors had the best defense in the NBA largely due to switches. GS switched on 19.2% of chances, second in NBA – a rate 45.5% higher than average!

Draymond Green led the NBA in the most important defensive categories. He allowed .82 points per shot and .71 points per play. His rate of denying passes and deflecting passes was about twice the league average. He was significantly above average in defending every play type and did so while defending multiple positions. He ranked among the best 5 defenders in defensive win shares, defensive rating and defensive box score plus/minus.

Peter Newmann is an analyst and writer who spent 10 years at ESPN, 8 as the NBA senior researcher working 24/7 on the league. He wrote game notes for crews, articles for ESPN.com, analysis for studio shows, and regularly assisted reporters and writers. Follow him on Twitter, and check out his Web site, www.peternewmann.com.